ICC wants Sudan cases referred to UN

April 22, 2010 12:00 am

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By , THE HAGUE, Apr 22 – Prosecutors have asked International Criminal Court judges to involve the UN Security Council in Sudan\’s refusal to execute arrest warrants for a government official and a militia leader, a court document showed Thursday.

In a request filed earlier in the week, the office of the prosecutor asked judges to issue a "finding of non-cooperation" against the government of Sudan, which would allow the court to "refer the matter to the Security Council".

"The government of the Sudan has not cooperated with the court in relation to the arrest warrants" issued by the court in April 2007 for Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kosheib, said the filing.

"To the contrary, the government of the Sudan continues to commit crimes, promotes and protects the persons sought by the court and harasses all persons who are considered to be in favour of justice."

The warrants for Haroun, Sudan\’s former secretary of state for humanitarian affairs turned governor, and Janjaweed militia leader Kosheib, list 51 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur.

Charges include murder, torture, mass rape and the forced displacement of entire villages.

Sudan\’s President Omar al-Beshir, for whom the ICC has also issued an arrest warrant, has repeatedly stated he would not hand the two men over to the court.

The filing reminds the court that it has the power to refer cases to the UN Security Council for action when countries refuse to cooperate.

"The chamber should conclude that the government of the Sudan\’s actions as well as inactions are intended to impede the fair and expeditious conduct of proceedings," the document said.

The Security Council referred the situation in Sudan, which is not a state party to the ICC\’s founding statute, to the court in March 2005 for investigation.